Obama decries domestic violence as ‘contemptible,’ says stopping it is bigger than football

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is speaking out against domestic violence in the wake of Ray Rice’s termination by the Baltimore Ravens.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says he spoke Monday evening with Obama about Rice. The running back was let go by his team and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a video emerged showing him knocking his then-fiancee unconscious.

Earnest says that Obama, as an American and the father of two daughters, believes domestic violence is “contemptible and unacceptable.” He says real men don’t hit women, regardless of whether it’s in public or private.

Earnest says stopping domestic violence is bigger than football and all Americans have a responsibility to stop it.

The White House this week is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.